NAACP Suing N.Y. Times Over Portrayal of Home Buyers in Ads

The NAACP filed suit Thursday against the New York Times, charging the newspaper with publishing real estate advertisements that almost always portray whites as potential buyers, in violation of civil rights laws.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, said almost exclusive use of white models in pictorial real estate ads indicated a preference for white buyers.

It asked the court to declare the Times in violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the Civil Rights Act and the Constitution and order the Times to take “affirmative steps” to change its practice.

Paper Denies Charges

The suit also sought unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.

“These advertisements have a very negative effect on minority home seekers and on the housing market in general,” said Benjamin Hooks, executive director of the civil rights organization.

“Decades ago, homeowners would hang up signs or run ads that said, ‘Whites Only.’ The fair housing laws were designed to change all that. But now, developers run ads that say with pictures what they can no longer say in words. Either way, the result is the same and it’s wrong,” he said.

In a statement, the Times denied the charges and said the complaint appeared to be “without merit.”

“The New York Times has always conformed to all applicable laws concerning discrimination and historically has led the way toward the removal of racial barriers,” the newspaper said.

The phrase “equal opportunity housing” or similar words recommended by federal regulations are required in all real estate display ads it runs, the newspaper noted.

The suit charged that in the 20 years since passage of the Fair Housing Act, the Times has published display ads “featuring thousands of human models, of whom virtually none are black.”